Thursday, December 15, 2011

Infamous Panhandler Behind '08 South Loop Attack Arrested in Uptown

A man who once knocked out a woman’s teeth in the South Loop when she refused to give him a cigarette was arrested again this week when he threatened to kill a man while panhandling in the Uptown neighborhood, according to Chicago police.

Derrick King, 50, was cited by critics of the state’s early prison release program when he threatened a woman in 2009, a day after getting out of prison for the brutal attack against Jennifer Hall on her birthday in August 2008.

Savages? Good lord. If all I knew from what I read on the comments here, I would expect rampant violence and chaos there ... but it's funny, every time I go down there I just see people waiting for the bus. Oh, and a few panhandlers, just like you see everywhere else in the Loop.

But I agree, I cannot believe they let that guy out after what a few months in prison? That's shameful.

Frankly I rarely read the comments anymore because this has become a forum for nonsense.

Idealist Anon, you live in a dream within a dream. Say what's up to Leo. It's not just a bunch of good people waiting for the bus...

1. Girl got her teeth knocked out and staples in her head.2. Urine stench, seems to be a drop-off point at the exit by Starbucks.3. Trash everywhere leading to pigeons everywhere leading to pigeon poop everywhere.4. Panhandlers.5. Jaywalkers.

So yes, the word is appropriate.

If 1-5 is your idea of standard operating procedure, you need to get to get out more often. These are all things that are easily solved.

Its a shame that this guy was even released from prison (twice) to be allowed to threaten to do it again.

MarkChicago,

Savages around the Roosevelt station, really? Obviously you haven't lived in this area long enough to see the transformation of that corner from 2008, when this attack actually happened. There used to be groups of panhandlers and loiterers harassing people on a daily basis on Wabash (King being one of the regulars) right outside of Jewel, which is rarely seen in 2011 (as its no longer tolerated). The people outside of the Roosevelt station are usually just people waiting for the bus, but due to the appearance of some of the people that do, you decided to refer to them as savages, when the majority of them are just hard working lower-income people who are commuting home to the West Side neighborhoods of Chicago.

If we want to complain about pigeon poop and jaywalkers, I think we should move back to our suburb now shouldn't we.

If your list of complaints is easily solved, how would you go about solving them? Fix them then. Perhaps you should throw on some gloves and get some trashbags and a powerwasher and get to work.

It's sad some people believe you just have to live with problems in the city instead of policing them, that the only solution is moving to the suburbs.

I've lived in the Sloop since 2008, FYI. There has been no improvement around the Roosevelt L. Police and CTA employees doing their jobs would be a good start, instead of standing around waiting to retire.

An easy first step in solving part of the problem around Roosevelt/Wabash/State area would be for the local businesses to take responsibility for cleaning up their sidewalk area. If Walgreens, Starbucks and Jewel would take some pride in their storefront/sidewalk area by powerwashing it on a semi regular basis it would solve part of the pigeon/trash problem. The area could really use a bigger Starbucks and expanding the existing store would eliminate much of the patio space that seems to primarily get used by panhandlers and bums.

OMG --- Jaywalkers and panhandlers!!! OMG. Trash everywhere? I've seen a bit, but frankly it's not that much different than at other transportation hubs in the city. I don't expect the city to be pristine and airbrushed and sanitized for my protection.

And I get out a lot, thank you. In fact, when the weather is warm I regularly ride my bike south of Cermak (which some commenters here seem to think is some hellhole full of crime) and have NEVER in more than 12 years had a problem. NEVER. Washington Park is great place to go bike riding, and a masterpiece of park design, as South Kenwood is beautiful, bike riding past all the mansions. in a quiet safe neighborhood.

I go to that area of State/Roosevelt/Wabash often, and as a middle-aged white woman I have NEVER felt threatened. One isolated instance of violence that was horrific does not a crime wave make -- or are you warning people to stay away form the Gold Coast because Lee MIglin was murdered there a few years ago by the same guy who killed Versace?

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,138099,00.html

Horrific crimes can happen anywhere in the city. I lived on the Northwest Side in Old Irving Park for about as long as I've lived in the South Loop, and I had more crime personally there (car broken into, mugging, a freaking tire taken off my car) than I've had in the South Loop (once my car was broken into because I stupidly left some things in it)

You people need to stop hyperventilating and being filled with fear and hatred and get some perspective.

Oh, so go ahead and try to bully me. I'm done reading the idiot comments on this blog. Good luck.

Man, if you think our taxes are crazy now, imagine what they would be if the city was cleaning sidewalks!

Cleaning sidewalks is really the responsibility of the property owner. That's why my condo building - and many others - washes the sidewalks surrounding our building. If we waited for the city to do so... guess what, it would never happen.

If you have a problem with the pigeon shit outside of Jewel/Walgreens/Starbucks on Roosevelt, you should take it up with those businesses.

It is against the law to jaywalk. It is against the law to panhandle. It is against the law to loiter. It is against the law to smoke at a bus stop. It is against the law to tag property with grafitti. It is against the law to smoke within 15 feet of an entrance to any commercial building. It is against the law to sneak onto a cta bus through the back door without paying. It is against the law to park on the street without paying.

ALL of these things happen on a daily (perhaps hourly?) basis at/near/around the intersection of state and roosevelt. What type of people make it a matter of routine daily living to violate all of these laws? Savages.

I know DK. He used to be around my business. I did what a buisness is supposed to do. I did not allow him to make any money outside my business. Rule No.1 Don't give money to theseguys. They will go away. Shame for the Bongo Room to allow that guy to sit outside their store all day.For the problem at the bus stop..That stop should be on Roosvelt andMichigan (NE Corner).

Everyone, who is concerned with this problem should contact theiralderman and the CTA Dept. Head.If enough people complain, the politicians will do something about it.

Sloopin is a good forum. But the solution lies with business owners and politicians and the bleeding hearts who give money to these bums.

Aon at 2:42. I hope you read this because any sane person would never ride where you do based on objective crime statistics. I'm not saying you have white guilt but it makes no sense to ride a bike in statistically high crime areas.

To all of you who keep telling/fooling yourselves that the Roosevelt L station is safe: SHOTS RANG OUT ON THE PLATFORM TODAY while witnesses reported at least 20 black teenagers (read: gang-bangers) running around the platform like a heard of wild animals. VICTIM IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION. Still pretending that this isn't a problem area for the south loop? Also, if anyone tries to blow this off and tell me to "move to the suburbs" if I don't want to be shot at while waiting for my train to work, you seriously need to re-think your priorities.

To all of you who keep telling/fooling yourselves that the Roosevelt L station is safe: SHOTS RANG OUT ON THE PLATFORM TODAY while witnesses reported at least 20 black teenagers (read: gang-bangers) running around the platform like a heard [sic] of wild animals.

And guess what? Our tax dollars will pay for his health care at Stroger and his meals while he is locked up. And as a thank you he tells all of us to get fu*kd while he and his gang-banging pals spray bullets at an L platform.